PM Abbasi terms alleged IB letter as forged

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Monday said neither he wrote any letter to the Intelligence Bureau (IB) regarding list of the parliamentary members having links with banned outfits nor IB had provided any such list, ARY News reported.

He said the letter alleged to be written by the IB containing list of the parliamentarians having links with terrorists was forged and it held no truth.

“A private TV channel alleged that the Prime Minister House is involved in preparing the report that was denied by the IB very next day. The IB has also described the report as forged and lodged FIR in this regard,” he said speaking in the National Assembly.

ARY News’ anchor Arshad Sharif showed an alleged IB letter on his show’s September 25 and September 27 episodes.

The anchor had alleged that former PM Nawaz Sharif had directed the IB on July 10 to keep watch on the listed legislators, mostly belonging to the PML-N.The list is said to have names of over 37 lawmakers suspected of having links with banned terrorist and sectarian outfits.

Read More: IB registers case against ARY News, anchor Arshad Sharif

The PM said action would be taken against those alleging that 37 members of the parliament had links with banned terrorist outfits.

He said the Pakistan Electronics Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) was also directed to take action according to the law in this regard.

Shahid Abbasi said the parliamentarians having name in the letter were asked to register complaint with the Pemra over defaming them.

He said the issue was also raised in the Cabinet meeting and it was clarified that Prime Minister House was not involved in any such action.

Read More: ARY News anchor Arshad Sharif ‘threatened’ by senior IB officer during PEMRA hearing

Vice Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shah Mehmood Qureshi expressed surprise over spying by the IB on parliamentarians and criticised the government for targeting a media house and its news anchor for it.

Speaking on a calling attention notice, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that petroleum prices were lowest in Pakistan in the petroleum importing countries.

He said that fuel prices were fixed every month according to the prices in the international market.